Dual (MA/MSLIS) in Religious Studies and Library Science

Component 1: Masters of Science in Library and Information Science

The Palmer School of Library and Information Science offers the full Master of Science in Library and Information Science (M.S.L.I.S.) in Manhattan. It is housed in the renowned Bobst Library of New York University, an outstanding research facility in the heart of Greenwich Village, overlooking Washington Square.

The dual degree allows student to graduate with an MSLIS from the Palmer School, accredited by the American Library Association, and Master's degree from any department at NYU, including Africana Studies. The Palmer School has elective courses in information technology, subject reference and organization of information, web architecture, digital libraries, information retrieval, metadata, collaborative technologies, rare books, archives and management. For more information on the Dual Masters Program.

MSLIS Mentorship:

Students enrolled in the dual degree program participate in a mentorship program with NYU Libraries' library subject specialists (LIS 785). For more information about the mentorship program.

Component 2: MA in Religious Studies

A student's course trajectory will be worked out with close faculty advice. By graduation, students should have a grasp of the tools of at least one disciplinary focus and a working knowledge of at least one cultural area.

In fulfillment of the degree, students may elect to complete a thesis paper as their capstone project. Typically before their final semester, students will secure a "thesis adviser" from among either the Religious Studies faculty or faculty from another department at NYU. Together with this adviser, the student will produce a thesis paper to be reviewed by two faculty members, one of whom must be in the Religious Studies program. Although the thesis paper is not graded, students may elect to enroll in a Thesis Research course (with departmental permission) for a grade and for a maximum of 4 credits as they work toward completion of the paper. As an alternative to the thesis, students may instead choose to take a written comprehensive exam as their capstone project. This requires securing an "examination adviser" with whom the student will design a set of questions around their particular field of study. The exam will be administered in the student's final semester, and will receive either a grade of "P" (pass) or "F" (fail). Students will not receive credits for completion of the exam; they must have completed, or be in the process of completing, the required 24 credits at the time of examination.